Rob Dillard

Correspondent

Rob Dillard is a Des Moines based correspondent for Iowa Public Radio. He joined IPR in 2001 as host of Morning Edition and moved to reporting in 2007. He has been on special assignment for IPR since early 2011 reporting the ongoing series “Being in Iowa.” It has taken him around the state shining light on small segments of the population, including Muslims, military veterans, Latinos and the physically disabled. The series has won awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) and Northwest Broadcast News Association (NBNA).

Rob has extensive experience in radio, newspaper and media relations dating back more than 30 years. He has also taught news writing at Central College in Pella. Rob earned his bachelor’s degree in mass communications at the University of Iowa.

Rob’s favorite public radio program is Morning Edition.

Ways To Connect

In part four of our series “Being Southeast Asian in Iowa.” we explore what it takes to integrate into a place where the people speak a different language and practice different customs. Is it possible to maintain the traditions from back home and embrace the American way of doing things?

Thousands of Southeast Asians left behind the familiar culture of their homeland for a fresh start in Iowa. Although they’re now living on the opposite side of the world from their birthplace, these immigrants strive to maintain the traditions of their native countries. Correspondent Rob Dillard explains the lengths to which they go to bring a touch of Southeast Asia to the American Midwest.

A few years after former Governor Robert Ray found a home in Iowa for the Tai Dam refugees of Laos, he did the same thing for another group who was seeking sanctuary. These were the “boat people”, most of them from Vietnam, who risked everything on the high seas to escape communism.

The number of Southeast Asians in Iowa received a boost almost 40 years ago, when about 1,200 refugees who were fleeing the Communist takeover of Laos and Vietnam were allowed to resettle here. Their saga of escape from war and persecution is part of a bigger story about a compassionate governor and a state’s citizens, who opened their hearts to a batch of new residents.

Today, Iowa Public Radio concludes its week-long series “Being Learning Disabled in Iowa.” Over the past four days, correspondent Rob Dillard has been looking into the difficulties people with specific learning disabilities have while moving through the lower grades, into high school and on to college. Now, Rob tells us about the adjustments these people must continue to make throughout their lifetimes in order to function with a disorder that never completely disappears.

Iowa Public Radio is presenting Part Four in its week-long series “Being Learning Disabled in Iowa.” Yesterday we heard about the challenges faced by young students when it first becomes apparent they are having difficulties learning to read and write. Today, reporter Rob Dillard explores the struggles they may encounter in higher education, and the accommodations some colleges are making.

It’s estimated between six and seven percent of Iowa’s K-through-12 students have specific learning disabilities. This minority of kids are often separated from their classmates, and labeled as different. In part three of our series, we look at how this impacts the psyche of these students.

It’s estimated as many as one in five Americans experience some form of specific learning disability. Identifying who these people are, however, is not a precise science.

It took years before Jefferson-Scranton High School senior Mary Larson and her parents figured out why she couldn’t read. She depended on her father to read her grade school textbooks out loud. By fifth grade, she still showed no signs of grasping the meaning of written words.

“I went to Iowa City hospital and they had a professional test me, I had to do some reading tests, comprehension.”

Iowa Public Radio concludes its week-long series “Being Home Schooled in Iowa” today with a look at the transition from home schooling to college. More students on Iowa’s campuses are entering a traditional classroom for the first time after being taught primarily by their parents. How smoothly do they make that move? What do professors see in students who were home schooled? And how do admission offices evaluate applicants who have never been given a letter grade? Reporter Rob Dillard went looking for answers to these questions.

All this week, Iowa Public Radio has been bringing you a series of stories about home schooled students. We’ve met several parents who have chosen to take charge of their children’s education for a variety of reasons. Occasionally, they seek help, especially as their kids get older. In today’s story, reporter Rob Dillard tells us that many of them turn to publicly supported Home School Assistance Programs.

Today, we continue our week-long series “Being Home Schooled in Iowa.” As we heard in yesterday’s segment, a significant number of parents who decide to home school do so to follow their religious convictions. But Iowa Public Radio’s Rob Dillard has discovered there are many reasons families choose to keep their children out of public and private schools.

More than a third of families who home school nationwide do it for religious purposes. That’s by far the Number One reason for keeping kids out of public or private schools. These parents say they want to be in charge of building the moral character of their children, and not leave it to teachers or peer groups. Reporter Rob Dillard looks into the significance of faith in home education.

Iowa Public Radio returns today to its ongoing series, “Being in Iowa.” This week, reporter Rob Dillard asks what does it mean to be home schooled in the state? He begins our series by examining the law that applies to home schools.

All this week we've been hearing what it's like to come out to family and friends, or deal with bullying as part of "Being Gay in Iowa." Host Ben Kieffer talks with four Iowans who share their experiences with these issues and more... from running for political office as an openly gay candidate, to being put in the spotlight as part of the battle over same sex marriage. Guests include Nate Monson, Executive Director of Iowa Safe Schools; Sharon Malheiro, Chair of One Iowa; Kate Varnum, plaintiff in Varnum v.

Today, Iowa Public Radio continues its series “Being Gay in Iowa.” Many same-sex couples have children. Some had them while in opposite-sex marriages before coming out. Others are becoming parents through sperm donors or adoption. What is life like for these kids who were raised in homes that are out-of-the-norm? Reporter Rob Dillard introduces us to some young people whose family life made them a curiosity while growing up.